8. 'The Self Invention'

Genre of Story:Fantasy/Historical (still can't pin this down). A parallel world in which society is about fifty years behind where we would have been at the same time. See 1905, think 1860.

Time Period/Location: Ledanrod, 1905. (Ledanrod is the parallel equivalent to London) Specifically an area known as the Fisheries. People who live there are moderately poor. They take pride in their housing. The area is tidy but old and run down.

Character Description: A little girl, nine years old. Abandoned to Mr and Mrs Padrig Lockett as a baby. Her mother, a prostitute, informed the couple that the baby was their nephew's child. She hasn't been seen since.

Brief Plot: A princess is on a quest to find her lost brother - the true heir to the throne - and a young man with no memory is forced into helping a band of thieves steal the coronation crown.

Anything else?: I have to change the girl's name as my friend's new book (soon to be released) contains a boy character of a similar name (Brae) and I don't want to seem like I'm copying her.*

She's basically a tertiary character. We only see her once and she's asleep at the time. I'll use whichever name is top of the poll after a week

In a slump with SI at the moment :/ 65,000 in and I've got that 'omg everything is awful, I just want to throw it all away and cry in a hole' sort of feeling Was hoping this might make me feel a little better, as this scene is one I'm going to enjoy writing when I get there.

If I'm allowed to distribute veto points, I'd give some to Maddigan (as it seems a bit too similar to the modern Madison) and Elva (there is a fairly important character in the Inheritance series by this name, so it doesn't seem as original as some of the other choices).

I was torn between Jessany, Olivette, and Seffine, but in the end I went with Seffine. Like Ledanrod/London, it sounds similar to names currently in use (Saffron, Seraphine, etc.) but has just enough of a twist to make it work with the whole "parallel but different" vibe.

I have to agree with Sleepy. I also liked Tamosina, Lowra, Olivette, and Jessany, but they were all just too modern sounding. Olivette would probably be okay, and maybe Lowra if it wasn't pronounced like Laura/Lora, but Jessany sounds like Jessie/Jesse, Jessa, Giselle, Jezebel, etc., and Tamosina sounds Arabic. Suselle would be fine, but it just seemed a little too girly. I picture either a porcelain doll or a hooker in a sci-fi movie as being named that, and Marta and Maddigan were too common. Zemma reminds me of an episode of The Nanny and a character from a video game. Elva is also too common and makes me think of a combination of Link and Elvin from The Cosby Show. Seffine is just right -- and it makes me think of both Sarene from Elantris and Saffron from Firefly. ;D

I have to agree with Sleepy. I also liked Tamosina, Lowra, Olivette, and Jessany, but they were all just too modern sounding. Olivette would probably be okay, and maybe Lowra if it wasn't pronounced like Laura/Lora, but Jessany sounds like Jessie/Jesse, Jessa, Giselle, Jezebel, etc., and Tamosina sounds Arabic. Suselle would be fine, but it just seemed a little too girly. I picture either a porcelain doll or a hooker in a sci-fi movie as being named that, and Marta and Maddigan were too common. Zemma reminds me of an episode of The Nanny and a character from a video game. Elva is also too common and makes me think of a combination of Link and Elvin from The Cosby Show. Seffine is just right; it's unique and fits the setting -- and it makes me think of both Sarene from Elantris and Saffron from Firefly. ;D